Tales of a Hero
by ShadowLyrics1
Summary: When a storm forces a young girl into a bar for shelter, she encounters Link, a man who drinks all day and receives pity from the bartender in the form of free drinks. As they wait for the storm to pass, he tells her of his time saving the country, and how it got him to where he was. (One-shot; Post OoT)
The little boys and girls on the street loved to tell tales. They weren't fairy tales, but rather ones about a man who sat alone at the local bar every day, drinking to his heart's content. Rumor had it that the bartender didn't even make him pay.

Linnea wasn't sure whether or not she believed such stories. She was too wrapped up in a little business her father made her do: selling flowers on the street. They were nothing much. Just simple daisies and roses she'd picked from outside the drawbridge of Castle Town. She always did it once the drawbridge lowered, not so she'd have the whole day to sell her flowers, but rather so the bridge wouldn't go up with her still outside.

Business never went very well, but today was simply awful. Not a single flower sold. No one had any need to buy flowers they could get outside for free. The boys playing ball outside laughed at her, but she didn't pay any attention to them. They were spoiled by their families; they didn't know what the meaning of "work" was.

However, there was one thing that made matters worse: a raindrop. Linnea felt a heavy raindrop strike her head. Much more followed, until the town was in a sudden downpour. Still, Linnea stood in her spot outside the bazaar, holding out a daisy, mangled from the rain, to the people who hurried for their homes. Linnea, however, didn't make an attempt to leave. If she went home, her father would probably beat her for not bringing home any money. What was she to do?

A jagged bolt of lightning split the sky, making the poor girl jump out of her skin. Thunder shook the earth and she dropped her daisy, bringing her hands up to her ears. A storm. She was terrified of storms! There was no reason to stay out now, but…

The bazaar was closed for the day because it was a day of mourning. Hyrule's king died on this day ten years ago. All the stores were closed in recognition. Well, except…

The bar! Yes, the bar was always open! Linnea held her weaved basket of flowers over her head and hurried for a small tavern hidden in the shadows. She just prayed the bartender would let her stay. She lunged for the doorknob and threw it open, jumping inside and slamming it behind her. She leaned her forehead and hands against the door, her breathing still heavy. Another loud crack of thunder made her flinch in fear.

"Hey," a voice called. "What are you doing?"

"Ain't it obvious?" another deeper voice chuckled. "She's scared of the storm! Let the poor girl stay, Tamra. She must be terrified."

Linnea tensed at the sudden silence, knowing all eyes were on her. She slowly turned around and whimpered at what she saw: a room full of tough, tattooed men and several women serving them. Not a child in sight. Maybe this was a mistake… But if she left she would be out in the streets!

"I won't have it," Tamra said sternly. She was a slender woman behind a counter many men were sitting at. Her bright red, highlighted hair was tied into two buns on the sides of her head. "I can't have a child in my bar. Imagine the trouble I'd get into!"

"What a heartless woman," the deep-voiced man grinned, shaking his head. He then turned to Linnea and said, "Don't worry, kid. You're welcome here. We won't even tell anyone you were around."

Linnea opened her mouth to say her thanks, but instead she rushed over to his table, pulled out a ruined rose, and held it out to him.

The man smiled and took it from her. "It's a shame the rain mangled them. Did you pick all these from outside the gate?" Linnea nodded. "That's very brave of you. The monsters come out at night."

Before Linnea could smile at his compliment, a hand grabbed her blond curls and held her head up. She let out a small shriek at first from the pain, then from the appearance of the man who grabbed her.

He must've been in his early thirties or so, but the bags under his good right eye made him look much older. The other eye was bandaged up, hidden from view. The blond hair that framed his face was tangled and messy, though the style was somehow fitting for him. His body was covered by a long, heavy forest green jacket with the buttons not even bothered to be done. Underneath was a simple shirt, belt, and pants.

Though he wasn't nearly as scary looking as the other men, the way his azure eye studied Linnea was enough to scare her.

"That's not her, Link," a man called from the other end of the bar. "Let the kid go."

Link immediately released Linnea and went over to the counter. He sat on a stool and balanced on the two hind legs, propping his feet up on the counter.

After a moment, Linnea finally found her voice. "Who's that?" she asked timidly.

"What, you don't know Link?" a waitress asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "He saved the whole world when he was only a kid. _Twice!"_

"Poor guy," the man with the flower sighed. "He's seen everything there is to see and now he just sits here drinking himself to death. Tamra feels so bad for him she doesn't even make him pay."

Linnea gasped at his words. "Is that the man all the kids talk about? He's real?"

Before anyone could stop her, she scurried up to Link's seat. He didn't give her so much as a sideways glance, rather ignoring her altogether.

"Are you the old drunk everyone talks about?" she asked innocently.

Link grimaced as Tamra put a large bottle of something in front of him. "Old drunk?" he repeated grimly. "I can think of two things wrong with that."

"But it is you, right?"

Link frowned at the girl. "I guess."

"Wow!" Linnea squealed in delight. "I'm talking to a celebrity! That's so cool!"

Several customers around the tavern laughed. "I can't believe it!" a red-faced hunter roared, slamming his fist on the table as his friends laughed right along with him. "You used to be hailed as our savior but now you're famous for being a drunk!"

"Oh…" Linnea felt tears welling up his her eyes, sorry for embarrassing Link. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't listen to him," Link replied, taking a swig of the bottle. "He's not in sound mind right now, if you know what I'm saying." A low rumble of thunder reverberated through the building, causing Linnea to throw her hands up to her ears. Link stared at her, showing a ghost of a smile in amusement. "Why are you scared to thunder? No one in here is."

Linnea's face turned red. "I… I just don't like being surprised. Thunder is loud and comes out of nowhere."

"Yeah, but thunder can't hurt you." Link drummed his fingers on the table when he realized Linnea wasn't any less frightened. "Want to hear a story?" She gazed at him in confusion. "To distract you."

The girl cocked her head. "Won't I be a bother?"

"Of course not," Link smiled. "I don't see why you would be. I actually grew up around children. They aren't as complicated as adults."

"Around children?" Linnea repeated in awe. "That sounds so nice! You mean you didn't have parents?"

Link furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "Nope," he answered bluntly. He stared into his reflection on his bottle grimly before continuing. "Never knew them. I was dropped off at a forest when I was a baby. Turns out it was inhabited by a bunch of kids."

"They're real too?" Linnea gasped. She'd heard tales of creatures who stayed children for eternity, but it simply sounded too good to be true. "Could I visit them someday?"

"Don't," Link advised firmly. "If you get lost trying to reach them, the forest won't let you go and you'll become a monster."

Linnea whimpered in fear. Another clap of thunder only made her shake more. "Y-You mean those monsters are actually lost children?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. For whatever reason they hate adults too. They attacked me when I tried to go back… But I'm getting off topic. I was told I had to give this stupid stone to the princess. Well, she's the _queen_ now, but back then she was just a little kid."

"You mean Queen Zelda?" Linnea grinned. "You knew her? Were you two…together?"

Link's grip tightened around his drink. "No. When we were your age we would tease each other about it. But that was…after everything happened. By the time I got back from saving everyone and all, I saw everything through the eyes of an adult."

"How come?"

"Yeah, about that…" Link grit his teeth in annoyance. "After a whole bunch of crap happened, the castle was attacked and I had to wield the Master Sword. But turns out I was too young to be the hero. Once I pulled it out I fell asleep and when I woke up seven years had passed."

Linnea's hand flew to her mouth. _"Seven years?_ But that would make you an adult then!"

"Not really," Link shrugged. "I was a teenager when I snapped out of it, but it was weird. The ground seemed so far away and all my friends were so tiny. And when I saw some girls I knew as adults…" He abruptly cut himself off and took a few gulps of his liquor. He then slammed the bottle on the counter. "Ugh, where was I?"

"About being an adult," Linnea reminded him.

"Oh, right. _That."_ Link ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "I guess skipping the most important seven years of your life messes you up. And saving the world and all that didn't help my stress level."

Linnea tilted her head in curiosity. "But not much really changed other than your height," she said. "So maybe it wasn't _that_ bad."

Link gave her a long sideways glare, making the girl shrink under his gaze. "Trust me, kid," he told her bluntly. "A _lot_ changes."

"But don't feel too bad for him!" a man shouted from a across the bar. "He was able to discover the wonderful world of girls!"

The room exploded into laughter, causing Link's face to redden.

"What're they talking about?" Linnea asked innocently.

"Um… It's not anything I should be telling you at this age," he continued hesitantly. "But I'll just say that after everything was over and done with, I stayed in the future for a little bit. And eventually Zelda and I did…something he shouldn't have. She made me go back to the past at one point or another and when I tried to go back to the forest, I was rejected."

"Rejected?" the girl repeated.

Link nodded. "Yeah. I took one step in and all of a sudden I was doubling over in pain. Guess it considered me an adult, so I couldn't enter."

His words her followed by a long string of silence. Linnea saw the bartender averting her gaze sadly, almost like she could feel his pain. She'd probably heard this tale several times.

"I'm sorry I asked," Linnea apologized sheepishly.

"Nah, it's fine," Link assured her, taking another swig of his drink. "It's something I can't change, so there's no use hiding it. But there's a little bit more to the story." Linnea glanced up expectantly. "When I went back to being a kid, the only place I could really go was to Zelda's place. Somehow I convinced myself I was going to see that perfect young woman from before, but…" Another beat of silence passed. "Well, needless to say I was pretty disappointed. But I told myself I'd wait for her to grow up. Until then I just did whatever she told me like a dog. I didn't mind at all. But at some point there was some prince from another country who showed up from his travels."

His grip tightened around his glance so hard his knuckles turned white. Linnea was sure he could've broken it if he didn't calm down as quickly as he did.

"Anyway, she fell for that guy. I was crushed, but she didn't notice. I guess she thought all my flirting with her was just childish teasing and nothing more. She didn't feel anything for me. The Zelda from the future did. I don't know why, though. Maybe it's because she and I went through a lot together?" A dark shadow was cast over his eyes. "I wish she hadn't sent me back to change everything. Everyone else is living a perfect life at the expense of my happiness."

Linnea tried to find the right words to comfort him, but found she wasn't able to find them. The poor girl could barely understand his struggles, much less find it in herself to help.

"But you know what?" She was surprised to find Link's rage was replaced with a content smile. "I don't mind. Every time I see her nowadays she's laughing and perfectly happy with her life. If she doesn't need me, that's fine. I don't know why, but… I'm kind of glad that prince came around to marry her. I guess I just wasn't the right guy for her."

"Do you think you'll ever love anyone else?" Linnea regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.

However, Link didn't get angry. Instead, his smile became solemn. "Probably not. I've liked girls in the past, but… I've never felt anything like I do for Zelda. I shouldn't love her now, but I do. Still, I wonder if it's even love at all."

Linnea blinked stupidly. "How could it be anything else?"

"Easy," Link replied. "I more or less went insane during my travels. I only know her for a short time, but the one thing that kept me from just slicing my throat was the fact that I'd see Zelda again. I just clung to that thought for safety, even when I thought it wasn't true. I told myself then that if she was dead, I'd follow her there when it was all finished. She was the one who made my life a living hell, by telling me to pull out the Master Sword, sure, but I didn't mind that either."

He glanced over at Linnea, looking faintly surprised at her lack of a reaction.

"Do those words not mean anything to you?" he asked flatly. "Even for a kid, you should understand. I dug myself into a hole, and as time went on it only got deeper. You don't know how scary it is, living as a slave for a person you barely know just to keep going. Let me give you an example." He pointed to the bandage covering his eye. "Where do you think this came from?"

Linnea thought long and hard, thinking it to be a trick question, but she could only find one answer. "A monster, I'd say."

Link smirked and shook his head. "Not even close. _I_ did it."

His reply sent shivers down her spine. "B-But who would harm themselves in such a way?" she asked in a frightened tone.

"It was a mark of my devotion," he grinned, likely entertained by her fear. "I was in the Shadow Temple, a particularly scary place that warps your mind. I won't go into details, but I spent a nice chunk of time with the dead. That place was more or less the last straw for me. I wanted to just kill myself right then and there, but lucky for me I had a dagger on me. So I took out my own eye on the spot. It was to be the mark of a slave, in a way. So I'd constantly be reminded of my position to her. And after all that was over I defeated the temple's demons no problem. That's just how crazy I was."

Linnea didn't even begin to find a reply. Could such an adventure really crush a person's sanity like that? Or was he just insane to begin with?

"And then I found her," Link continued, his smile returning. "Turned out she was disguised as a boy and following me around to make sure I was going okay. I should've known. When I got back from the Shadow Temple Sheik, or so she called herself then, just froze on the spot. Couldn't blame her. I was covered in blood, had a missing eye, and was grinning like crazy. She just sort of stared at me for a while before regaining her composure and telling me where else to go. Not long after I found out she was actually the princess, and suddenly I felt grounded again. Like all those psychotic episodes paid off and I was able to be with her. I mean, the enemy captured her, but that only served as a driving force to defeat him. After all that Zelda and I stayed together for a while. I helped rebuild Castle Town and I was pretty much Zelda's self-appointed guard. We were both very happy, but…"

"She sent you back, didn't she?" Linnea asked sadly.

"Yeah. She said I needed those seven years, that she stole them from me. I begged her to let me stay, but in the end I really couldn't refuse a command from her. She didn't understand how little I wanted those seven years back. How could she? So after almost a year as an adult, I had to return to being a kid. Kind of a shock, but I went on my way, and, well, I think I told you the rest."

"Alright, Link, that's enough," Tamra ordered him motherly. "You're just making yourself more upset." She looked at Linnea and smiled. "Sorry about that, honey. He rambles when he's drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Link huffed.

"Sure you aren't, dear. Have more alcohol." She slid him another bottle of who-knows-what. "By the way, kid, I think the storm stopped. You can go outside now, but be careful, you hear?"

Linnea nodded with a childish grin. "I will!" She spun on her heels to run out, but was stopped by a tired "wait" from Link. She slowly crept back over to him.

"You're that girl I always see selling flowers, right?" he asked gruffly. Linnea noticed he was already halfway done his second bottle. "Let me buy one from you."

"Really?" The girl beamed at his offer. She fished out the more decent lily she could find from the basket she still had hung around her arm. The flower was missing several petals, but it wasn't that bent out of shape. She quickly handed it to Link and he returned her with a purple gem. Her jaw dropped when she processed the amount. "B-But fifty rupees is way too much!" she protested.

"I don't need it for anything," Link told her with his best attempt at a smile. "The only thing I need nowadays is my drinking and I get that for free."

Tamra scoffed from behind the counter, making Linnea smile in amusement. She held out a rose to the bartender and Tamra took it gingerly. She immediately placed it in her hair and winked at Linnea.

"Don't act like that'll make it easier to tempt men!"

The bar erupted again at someone's comment. Tamra rolled her eyes at him. "I don't have any need to pick up men. After all, I'm too busy babysitting this one!" She smirked playfully at Link and he managed a small laugh. Linnea took some comfort in the fact that he was beginning to lighten up, and once again began to make her way towards the door.

The girl took a bit of comfort in the sight of a clear sky outside the windows. She pushed the heavy door open, taking a step onto the muddy ground. Taking a satisfied look at the purple rupee in her hand, she started making her way into the now crowded streets.

As Linnea did so, she could've sworn she felt Link giving her one last stare, as if to be sure he hadn't mistaken her for a girl he knew before.

 ***Phew! That certainly took a lot out of me. _**

 **Link: It still sucked.**

 **Shuddap! D: Anyway, for those of you who read my Battle of Light story, here's what happened: First, my dumb laptop deleted my entire story. ALL OF IT. I restarted the chapter I was working on, but then my laptop got slower. I took it into Best Buy, but before that I quickly shoved the restarted chapter into Dropbox. And wouldn't you know it, DROPBOX WAS FULL AND I DIDN'T NOTICE! D: So now I have to restart it a third time! ;_; But lucky for my Dropbox had this really old oneshot saved, and I finished it to put up. So now maybe you guys have something to hold you over. :3**

 **Zelda: Who looks forward to your stuff? =_=**

 **Link: I should send them a list of better authors to look at…**

 **HEY! D:**

 **K bye.***


End file.
